Lithuania closes part of airspace after drone incursions ahead of Zapad 2025
Lithuania has imposed a temporary flight ban along part of its border with Belarus, citing repeated drone incursions and the need to secure military operations ahead of the upcoming Zapad military exercises.
The Ministry of National Defence told BNS that the Ministry of Transport and Communications enacted the measure following a request from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“This was done taking into account the security situation and threats to society, including the risks posed to civil aviation due to airspace violations by unmanned aircraft, as well as the need to create the necessary conditions for the Lithuanian military to carry out tasks established by law in peacetime in response to such and similar airspace violations,” the ministry said.
The airspace restriction, effective up to 12,000 feet (3,660 meters) along a roughly 90-kilometer (56-mile) stretch of the border, will remain in place until October 1, 2025. Officials said the ban could be extended if the threat from unmanned aircraft does not decrease.
Series of drone incursions
The closure follows two recent airspace violations involving military-grade drones of Russian design that crossed into Lithuania from Belarus in July.
The first incident saw a plywood-and-foam drone crash shortly after breaching the border. Less than a month later, a similar drone flew over Vilnius, startling residents in the early morning hours before crashing inside the Gaižiūnai military training area. Analysis revealed that the second drone was carrying an active warhead.
Both aircraft were identified as Gerbera models, similar in design to Iranian-made Shahed loitering munitions used by Russia in Ukraine. The incidents prompted calls from Lithuanian officials for stronger NATO air defense measures along the Alliance’s eastern flank.
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Similar incident in Poland
On August 20, 2025, an unidentified object fell and exploded in a cornfield near Osiny, eastern Poland, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Police said they received reports of an “explosion” at around 02:00 local time. At a press conference, Lublin District Prosecutor Grzegorz Trusiewicz said preliminary findings pointed to “a very high probability” that the object was a military drone.
General Dariusz Malinowski, deputy commander of Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command, reported that initial evidence pointed to it being equipped with a Chinese engine and a “self-destructive warhead.”
NATO’s eastern flank on alert
Vilnius and Warsaw have both called for faster deployment of additional sensors and interceptors to close gaps in NATO’s air and missile defense coverage.
Lithuanian officials say the restriction will help ensure the armed forces can respond quickly to any new violations during Zapad 2025, a regular Russian-Belarusian exercise often accompanied by increased hybrid activity along the border.The post Lithuania closes part of airspace after drone incursions ahead of Zapad 2025 appeared first on AeroTime.
Lithuania has imposed a temporary flight ban along part of its border with Belarus, citing repeated drone incursions…
The post Lithuania closes part of airspace after drone incursions ahead of Zapad 2025 appeared first on AeroTime.
